JP2009075878A - Information processor and method for booting operating system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve security by controlling booting of an operating system by authentication processing when a server is stolen, and to achieve flexibile operation in a normal location. <P>SOLUTION: This information processor is provided with an AC disconnection determination part 202 for discriminating whether or not the supply of an AC voltage has been disconnected before a boot instruction is input, and for permitting booting of the operating system when determining that the supply of the AC voltage has not been disconnected; an authentication processing part 206 for executing authentication processing by using the data input by the data input means and the authentication information when the supply of the AC voltage is determined to be stopped by the discrimination means; a register setting part 207 for setting "1" in a register 130 showing the supply state of the AC voltage when the authentication processing succeeds;, and for permitting booting of the operating system; and a power-off instruction part 208 for instructing power-off to the EC/KBC 124 when the authentication processing fails. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that requires an authentication process for booting an operating system and an operating system boot method.

  In general, the server is scheduled to be operated by using the scheduling function of the uninterruptible power supply during server operation.

A technique for ensuring security in a server capable of schedule operation is disclosed in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for preventing information from being read out by blanking a display when booting by a schedule function is performed in a state where a password needs to be input when power is turned on. .
JP-A-8-263163

  According to the technique disclosed in the above-described patent document, nothing is displayed on the display even when the schedule function is activated, so that reading of information from the server is prevented.

  With this technology, nothing is displayed on the display, but the functions of the server can be used. Therefore, if the server is stolen and taken out and activated by the schedule function at the takeout destination, the function of the server can be used. However, there is a demand to operate flexibly by omitting authentication processing and enabling it to be activated by a schedule function at a normal installation location.

  An object of the present invention is to improve the security by controlling the booting of the operating system by an authentication process when it is considered to have been taken out, and to improve the security at a normal installation location, and To provide a method for booting an operating system.

  An information processing apparatus according to an example of the present invention includes a storage device that stores authentication information, a processor that executes an operating system, and a direct current for driving a system including the processor using an alternating voltage supplied from the outside. A power supply circuit for generating a drive voltage, data input means for inputting data, and a boot instruction for booting the operating system are input, and the power supply circuit is input to the system according to the input of the start instruction A voltage supply instructing unit for instructing the supply of the driving voltage, a determining unit for determining whether or not the supply of the AC voltage is cut off before the boot instruction is input, and the determining unit includes the AC voltage When the supply of the operating system is determined not to be interrupted, the means for permitting booting of the operating system and the determination means A means for executing an authentication process using the data inputted from the data input means and the authentication information when it is determined that the supply of the current voltage has been cut off; and And means for permitting booting.

  When taken out, it is possible to suppress booting of the operating system to improve security and to flexibly operate at a normal installation location.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  First, the configuration of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. This information processing apparatus is realized as an appliance server that functions as NAS (Network Attached Storage).

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the appliance server 10. The server 10 includes a server body 11. The server body 11 has a box-shaped housing. A front display panel 17 composed of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is incorporated in the front surface of the server body 11. On the front surface of the server main body 11, a power button 14 for powering on / off the server 10 and a USB connector 16 into which a USB device socket is inserted are arranged.

  Next, a system configuration of the server 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the server 10 includes a CPU 111, a north bridge 112, a main memory 113, a graphics controller 114, a south bridge 119, a BIOS-ROM 120, a RAID controller 121, hard disk drives (HDDs) 122A and 122B, A LAN controller 123, an embedded controller / keyboard controller IC (EC / KBC) 124, a power supply controller 125, a volatile memory (VM) 129, and the like are provided.

  The CPU 111 is a processor provided for controlling the operation of the server 10 and executes an operating system (OS) and various application programs loaded from the hard disk drive (HDD) 122 to the main memory 113. The OS has a window system for displaying a plurality of windows on a display screen.

  The CPU 111 also executes a system BIOS (Basic Input Output System) stored in the BIOS-ROM 120. The system BIOS is a program for hardware control.

  The north bridge 112 is a bridge device that connects the local bus of the CPU 111 and the south bridge 119. The north bridge 112 also includes a memory controller that controls access to the main memory 113. The north bridge 112 also has a function of executing communication with the graphics controller 114 via an AGP (Accelerated Grap 1cs Port) bus or the like.

  The graphics controller 114 is a display controller that controls the LCD 17 used as the front display panel of the server 10. The graphics controller 114 has a video memory (VRAM), and generates a video signal that forms a display image to be displayed on the LCD 17 from display data drawn in the video memory by the OS / application program.

  The south bridge 119 controls each device on an LPC (0 Pin Count) bus. The south bridge 119 includes a PCI-X controller for communicating with a device connected to the PCI-X bus, a USB controller 119A for communicating with a USB key 140 inserted into the USB connector 16, and a serial port. A serial controller 119B for communicating with a device connected to the PC is incorporated. Further, the south bridge 119 has a function for controlling access to the BIOS-ROM 120. The USB key 140 is a storage device corresponding to the USB mass storage class.

  The RAID controller 121 is a control device for configuring the RAID (Redundant Array Of Inexpensive Disks) by handling the HDDs 122A and 122B as one HDD 122. In the case of this embodiment, RAID-1 is configured using HDDs 122A and 122B. The RAID controller 121 and the south bridge 119 are connected by, for example, a PCI-X bus.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the HDD 122 includes a hidden area 150 that cannot be accessed by the user, and an OS / Data area 160 that can be accessed by the user and the operating system.

  In the hidden area 150, an encryption key 151 is stored. The OS / Data area 160 stores an operating system file 161 for executing an operating system, an encryption / decryption application file 162 for executing an encryption / decryption application, a data file 163, and the like. The encryption / decryption application is an application that encrypts data stored in the HDD 122 by a computer connected to the LAN using the encryption key 151 or decrypts the data. In the USB key 140, the same encryption key 141 as the encryption key 151 is stored.

  The LAN controller 123 is a network interface for connecting the computer to the LAN.

  The embedded controller / keyboard controller IC (EC / KBC) 124 is a one-chip microcomputer in which an embedded controller for power supply control and heat dissipation control and a keyboard controller for controlling a keyboard (KB) and a mouse are integrated. . The embedded controller / keyboard controller IC (EC / KBC) 124 has a function of powering on / off the server 10 in accordance with the operation of the power button 14 by the user.

  An AC / DC converter 126 as a power supply circuit converts an AC voltage supplied from an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) 170 into a DC voltage. The converted DC voltage is output to a power supply controller 125 as a power supply circuit. The power supply controller 125 generates system power to be supplied to each component of the server 10 using a DC voltage. The power supply controller 125 supplies system power to each component of the server 10 in response to an instruction from the EC / KBC 124 as voltage supply instruction means. The power supply controller 125 always supplies a drive voltage to the south bridge 119, the EC / KBC 124, and the volatile memory 129 when an AC voltage is supplied from the UPS 170.

  The content of the volatile memory (VM) 129 disappears when the supply of a driving voltage such as DRAM (dynamic random access memory) or SRAM (static random access memory) is interrupted. That is, all the bits that have been changed to “0”. A specific bit in the volatile memory is set as a register 130 indicating whether or not the supply of the AC voltage from the UPS 170 is cut off. The register 130 is “1” when the supply of the AC voltage is not cut off. The register 130 is “0” when the supply of AC voltage is cut off. As the volatile memory, a register mounted on the south bridge 119 may be used.

  The power supply controller 125 always supplies a drive voltage to the volatile memory 129 when an AC voltage is supplied from the UPS 170. Therefore, as long as the supply of the drive voltage is not cut off, the data in the volatile memory 129 is retained, so the value of the register 130 is “1”. However, when the supply of AC voltage from the UPS 170 is cut off, the drive voltage is not supplied to the volatile memory 129, and therefore all data in the volatile memory becomes “0”. Therefore, the value of the register 130 is “0”. Therefore, the present apparatus detects that the supply of the AC voltage has been cut off by utilizing the property of the volatile memory that data cannot be held unless the drive voltage is supplied.

  The UPS 170 has a battery inside, and when a power failure occurs, the UPS 170 can switch from a commercial power source to a battery and use a personal computer with the stored power even after the commercial power source is cut off. The UPS 170 has an RTC (Real Time Clock) 171 and a serial controller 173. The RTC 171 includes a boot setting storage unit 172 in which a setting date and time for starting the NAS is stored. The RTC 171 has an alarm function for booting the server 10 at the date and time stored in the boot setting storage unit 172. The RTC 171 transmits a boot instruction for booting the server 10 via the serial controller 173 when the date and time stored in the boot setting storage unit 172 comes.

  The boot instruction is notified to the EC / KBC 124 via the serial controller 119B. The EC / KBC 124 powers on the server 10 in response to the input of the boot command.

  In this apparatus, when data is stored, the data is encrypted by the encryption / decryption application and stored in the HDDs 122A and 122B. The conventional operation of such an apparatus will be described. The encryption key is stored in an external storage device such as a USB key. In order to prevent data from being extracted even if it is stolen, at the time of booting, the storage device storing the encryption key is always connected to the device to perform authentication processing.

  For this reason, when booting or shutting down using a schedule function such as UPS, it is necessary to leave the encryption key attached, which is not a security measure.

  This device does not require a USB key when booting using the schedule function, and NAS operation is flexible. Such a boot management function is implemented in the system BIOS.

  At the time of theft, it is necessary to temporarily cut off the supply of AC voltage to the server 10. The boot management function determines whether or not the AC voltage for generating system power is cut off for flexible operation. If the AC voltage is not cut off, it can be determined that the server 10 has not been taken out, so the operating system permits booting without inserting the USB key 140. If the AC voltage is cut off, the server 10 may have been taken out, so the USB key 140 needs to be inserted to boot the operating system.

  Next, the configuration of the system BIOS for achieving the boot management function will be described with reference to FIG.

  The system BIOS includes a POST processing unit 201, an AC disconnection determination unit 202, a key insertion request unit 203, a key insertion determination unit 204, a key reading unit 205, an authentication processing unit 206, a register setting unit 207, a power-off instruction unit 208, and a boot unit. 210 and the like.

  The POST processing unit 201 executes a power-on self test (POST) to check whether a necessary device operates normally. At the same time, these peripheral devices are also initialized.

  The AC interruption determination unit 202 performs a process of determining whether or not the supply of the AC voltage has been interrupted with reference to the register 130. The AC disconnection determination unit 202 is not disconnected from the AC voltage supply when the value of the register 130 is “1”. Further, the AC disconnection determination unit 202 determines that the supply of AC voltage has been interrupted when the value of the register 130 is “0”.

  The key insertion request unit 203 displays a message for prompting the insertion of the USB key 140 on the LCD 17 when the AC interruption determination unit 202 determines that the supply of the AC voltage has been cut off.

  The key insertion determination unit 204 determines whether the USB key 140 has been inserted into the USB connector 16 when it is determined that the AC voltage has been cut off. The key reading unit 205 reads the encryption key 141 from the USB key 140 when it is determined that the USB key 140 is inserted.

  The authentication processing unit 206 executes an authentication process for determining whether or not the encryption key 141 read from the USB key 140 matches the encryption key 151 stored in the HDD 122.

  The power-off instruction unit 208 instructs the EC / KBC 124 to power off when the authentication process is not successful. The register setting unit 207 executes processing for setting the value of the register 130 to “1” when the authentication processing is successful.

  The boot unit 210 executes a process for booting the operating system when the AC disconnection determination unit 202 determines that the supply of the AC voltage has not been interrupted, or when the authentication processing by the authentication processing unit 206 is successful.

Next, processing at power-on will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, the POST processing unit 201 performs a power-on self test (POST) to check whether a necessary device operates normally (step S11). At the same time, these peripheral devices are also initialized.

  Subsequently, the AC disconnection determination unit 202 refers to the register 130 to determine whether or not the supply of AC voltage has been interrupted (step S12). When the value of the register 130 is “1” and it is determined that the supply is not interrupted (NO in step S12), the AC disconnection determination unit 202 instructs the boot unit 210 to boot the operating system. The boot unit 210 boots the operating system according to the instruction (step S18).

  When the value of the register 130 is “0” and it is determined that the supply has been cut off (YES in step S12), the AC interruption determination unit 202 instructs the key insertion request unit 203 to prompt the user to insert the USB key. The key insertion request unit 203 displays a message on the LCD 17 to prompt the user to insert the USB key (step S13).

  The key insertion request unit 203 instructs the key insertion determination unit 204 to monitor the insertion of the USB key. The key insertion determination unit 204 determines whether or not a USB key has been inserted into the USB connector (step S14).

  If it is determined that a key has been inserted (YES in step S14), the key insertion determination unit 204 instructs the key reading unit 205 to read the encryption key from the USB key. The key reading unit 205 reads the encryption key from the USB key according to the instruction (step S15). The key reading unit 205 instructs the authentication processing unit 206 to perform authentication processing to determine whether the read encryption key is valid.

  The authentication processing unit 206 determines whether or not the read encryption key matches the encryption key stored in the hidden area of the HDD 122 (step S16).

  If the encryption keys match, that is, if the authentication process is successful (YES in step S16), the authentication processing unit 206 instructs the register setting unit 207 to set the register 130. The register setting unit 207 sets the register 130 to “1” according to the instruction (step S17). The register setting unit 207 instructs the boot unit 210 to boot the operating system. The boot unit 210 boots the operating system according to the instruction.

  If the encryption keys do not match, that is, the authentication process is not successful (NO in step S16), the authentication processing unit 206 instructs the power-off instruction unit 208 to perform a process for powering off. The power-off instruction unit 208 transmits a power-off command to the EC / KBC 124 according to the instruction (step S19). The EC / KBC 124 is powered off in response to the command (step S20).

  As described above, when it is determined that the AC voltage has been supplied, it may be taken out, so the authentication process is executed and the operating system is not booted unless the authentication process is successful. . Therefore, even if it is stolen and taken out, it is safe because data cannot be read out.

  If it is determined that no AC voltage has been supplied, it can be determined that the AC voltage has not been taken out, so that the operating system is booted without performing authentication processing. Therefore, it becomes possible to make the operation in a normal installation place flexible.

  In the above-described embodiment, the appliance server used as the NAS is given as an example of the information processing apparatus. However, it may be an appliance server used for purposes other than NAS. Further, it may be a normal server that is not an appliance server. Moreover, although the encryption key is used as the authentication information, the encryption key may not be used.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Further, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, you may combine suitably the component covering different embodiment.

1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The block diagram which shows the system configuration | structure of the information processing apparatus shown in FIG. The figure which shows the structure in the hard-disk drive shown in FIG. The block diagram which shows the structure of system BIOS which performs a boot management function. The block diagram which shows the procedure of a process of boot management.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Appliance server, 16 ... USB connector, 17 ... LCD, 111 ... CPU, 120 ... BIOS-ROM, 122 ... Hard disk drive, 124 ... Embedded controller / keyboard controller IC, 125 ... Power supply controller, 126 ... AC / DC converter, 129: Volatile memory, 130: Register, 140: USB key, 141: Encryption key, 170 ... Uninterruptible power supply, 202 ... Boot setting storage unit, 202 ... AC disconnection determination unit, 203 ... Key insertion request unit, 204 ... Key insertion determination unit, 205 ... key reading unit, 206 ... authentication processing unit, 207 ... register setting unit, 210 ... boot unit.

Claims (10)

A processor running an operating system;
A power supply circuit for generating a DC driving voltage for driving the system including the processor using an AC voltage supplied from outside;
Data input means for inputting data;
A boot instruction for booting the operating system; a voltage supply instructing unit that instructs the power supply circuit to supply the drive voltage to the system in response to the input of the boot instruction;
Determining means for determining whether or not the supply of the AC voltage is cut off before the boot instruction is input;
Means for permitting booting of the operating system when the determining means determines that the supply of the AC voltage is not interrupted;
A storage device for storing authentication information;
Means for executing an authentication process using the data input from the data input means and the authentication information when the determination means determines that the supply of the AC voltage has been cut off;
An information processing apparatus comprising: means for permitting booting of the operating system when the authentication process is successful. The AC voltage is supplied from an uninterruptible power supply,
The uninterruptible power supply is a boot setting storage unit that stores the setting of the date and time for booting the operating system,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a boot instruction unit for inputting the boot instruction to the voltage supply instruction unit according to the date and time stored in the boot setting storage unit. A volatile memory that holds data unless the supply of the AC voltage is cut off from the outside;
Means for setting a predetermined bit of the volatile memory to “1” when the authentication process is successful;
The determining means refers to a predetermined bit of the volatile memory, determines that the supply of the AC voltage is not cut off when the predetermined bit is “1”, and the predetermined bit is “0”. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein it is determined that the supply of the AC voltage has been cut off in the case of. A magnetic disk unit;
Means for encrypting data stored in the magnetic disk device using an encryption key;
Means for decrypting data stored in the magnetic disk device using the encryption key;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the encryption key is used as the authentication information. The data input means includes
USB (Universal Serial Bus) controller,
A connector into which a socket of a device communicating with the USB controller is inserted;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for acquiring predetermined data inserted in the connector and stored in a USB storage device corresponding to a USB mass storage class. Operating system boot control in an information processing apparatus comprising: a processor that executes an operating system; and a power supply circuit that generates a DC driving voltage for driving a system including the processor using an AC voltage supplied from outside A method,
A boot instruction for booting the operating system is input, and in response to the input of the start instruction, the power supply circuit is instructed to supply the drive voltage to the system,
Before the boot instruction is input, determine whether the supply of the AC voltage is cut off,
If it is determined that the supply of AC voltage has not been interrupted, allow the operating system to boot,
When it is determined that the supply of AC voltage has been cut off, the authentication process is executed using the data input from the data input means and the authentication information stored in the storage device,
A boot control method comprising: permitting booting of the operating system when the authentication process is successful. The AC voltage is supplied from an uninterruptible power supply,
The uninterruptible power supply is a boot setting storage unit that stores the setting of the date and time for booting the operating system,
The boot control method according to claim 6, further comprising a boot instruction unit that outputs the boot instruction according to a date and time stored in the boot setting storage unit. The information processing apparatus further includes a volatile memory that holds data unless the supply of the AC voltage is cut off from the outside.
When the authentication process is successful, the predetermined bit of the volatile memory is set to “1”,
The determination refers to a predetermined bit of the volatile memory. When the predetermined bit is “1”, it is determined that the supply of the AC voltage is not cut off, and the predetermined bit is “0”. The boot control method according to claim 6, wherein it is determined that the supply of the AC voltage has been cut off. The information processing apparatus further includes means for encrypting data stored in the magnetic disk device using an encryption key, and means for decrypting data stored in the magnetic disk device using the encryption key. And
The boot control method according to claim 6, wherein the encryption key is used as the authentication information. The data input means includes
USB (Universal Serial Bus) controller,
A connector into which a socket of a device communicating with the USB controller is inserted;
The boot control method according to claim 6, further comprising means for acquiring predetermined data inserted into the connector and stored in a USB storage device corresponding to a USB mass storage class.

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